otoh, your claim that any deviation from tradition is "re-writing grammar" is incorrect. Using "her" instead of "his" wasn't incorrect, it just wasn't common. So while a language like Spanish has words that are masculine or feminine, and deviation is in fact incorrect, that's not the case with English.

Furthermore, the English language constantly changes, as much as that must pain somebody like you. It's also a pretty quirky language. So saying "her book" instead of "his book" is perfectly acceptable.

I believe you meant to say, "The neuter for the English has traditionally been the masculine."

Back to the subject at hand: tradition is the problem here, State, not the solution.

It's probably not that well-known outside nerddom, but there is actually quite the firestorm about such things. It may surprise some readers that the use of "their" to solve the "his or her" problem has gained some official currency, for precisely the reason we're debating. In some circumstances, we must choose between gender bias, the clunky "his or her," or the use of "their" as a third-person (singular) possessive, as it is used in spoken English.

I have no problem with writing around most issues. For example, if you want a second person imperative, "everybody open your notebook" makes more sense. In a case where a leader of a group of people is directing them to open their notebooks, "your" makes most sense anyway.

If, however, we want "their," it's simple in this case to make "notebooks" plural.

If we are terribly concerned with the descriptive blurb including "working on their first contract," the most elegant solution is to go telegraphic, since the descriptive tag isn't a sentence in the first place. "working on first contract" would be fine.

But to the point of the grammatical status of "their" being used as a singular possessive: Here, we tread on the cratered battlefield of the presecriptivist/descriptivist grammar.

The prescriptivist can simply say grammar should be eternal, and it has changed intolerably since a certain point when it was good and perfect, typically some time in the youth of the prescriptivist in question.

A descriptivist says grammar is a description of language -- grammar is the set of rules that works in a certain language. Even a cursory examination reveals that lo and behold, these rules change.

Save the tong in commun wyse this daye seme lesse plesyng to he yclept State...

Things like this can be whined and bytched about here.. but perhaps these grave concerns should be addressed to Ian..

Quite confident that he will take you concerns under close consideration and make the necessary "politically correct" changes

Or better still take control of the situation, make your life better and post more, then you can fall into the politically correct neutral status of either "Experienced Starter W/First Big Contract" or "All Pro Poster".

Things like this can be whined and bytched about here.. but perhaps these grave concerns should be addressed to Ian..

Quite confident that he will take you concerns under close consideration and make the necessary "politically correct" changes

Or better still take control of the situation, make your life better and post more, then you can fall into the politically correct neutral status of either "Experienced Starter W/First Big Contract" or "All Pro Poster".

Grammatically this is probably incorrect. The omitted subject is almost certainly "Second Team [Player]." It should then read "Getting His First Start."

I find this failure to have agreement between the singular subject and its corresponding pronoun all the time. I think it's an effort to be gender neutral or non-sexist with the language.

Total b.s. It's not sexist to say the following, for example: "Everyone open his notebook." I usually throw in "his or her," but that gets cumbersome quickly.

Why have feminists ruined the language? People who love it and think it should be above politics want to know.

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You're actually correct, the English language was fine the way it was. Now it's getting so F'd up due to texting, pretty soon we'll all walk around saying idiotic sh1t like "OMG"...damn, damn shame State!!

You're actually correct, the English language was fine the way it was. Now it's getting so F'd up due to texting, pretty soon we'll all walk around saying idiotic sh1t like "OMG"...damn, damn shame State!!